Why a simple “Push Test” isn’t enough to cover you for Smoke Alarm Compliance
By pushing & holding the test button for a few seconds, your smoke detector should product a loud noise. This is commonly referred to as a “push test” and is commonly conducted by a home owner or Real Estate Agent.
Why is a Push Test not sufficient for Smoke Alarm Compliance?
- The button test ensures that the batteries are working. However, it doesn’t tell you whether the detector is operating properly.
- Having a Smoke Alarm that doesn’t work can be a Fatal Mistake
- There is little or no paperwork or documentation to cover you if there is a fire, insurance claim paperwork or any other dispute.
To test whether the unit will actually work in a fire requires much more including:
- Checking the expiry date (after 10 years they have expired)
- Have precise, detailed and complete documentation of the systems you have in place to ensure legislative requirements are fulfilled
- Artificial Smoke testing
- Decibel (volume) reading of over 85 to properly alert sleeping household members. This requires specialist equipment.
- Maintaining the cleanliness of the unit
- Checking if the positioning of the Smoke Alarms are effective & that there are enough Smoke Alarms throughout the house or business to detect smoke in all areas of the building.